The 2022 report on road accidents published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways brought to light a matter of serious concern: the situation of road safety in India. According to the report, India saw a total of 1,68,491 deaths from 4,43,366 injuries in 2022. This translates to losing one person to a road accident fatality every three-and-a-half minutes. Faced with such alarming statistics, a nationwide awareness campaign became imperative. This is where Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan found its core mission for a second edition.
Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan 2024 aimed to delve deeper into fostering empathy on the roads of India. This edition sought to invoke behavioral change at an individual level while sensitizing citizens on the value of protecting human lives to make India’s roads safer.
The initiative delved deeper into the theme of empathy, outlining what it means to practice empathy on roads by breaking down the theme’s four main pillars: ‘respect’, ‘patience’, ‘safety’, and ‘collaboration’. These pillars were discussed in-depth at the grand telethon. To reinforce the initiative’s ideologies, the honourable Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari, knowledge partner SaveLIFE Foundation, and various national celebrities such as Shri Amitabh Bachchan, Smt. Sudha Murty, Justice Indu Malhotra, Pankaj Tripathi, and R. Madhavan were involved in this mission for road safety awareness. The campaign also expanded its reach to eight different cities identified based on the severity of road safety issues they faced. Additionally, school and college activations were made an active part of the campaign to spread awareness among young, impressionable minds and instill a culture of road safety from an early age.
In the eight cities—Chennai, Bengaluru, Kanpur, Indore, Nagpur, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Patna—the events included on-stage panel discussions, audience interactions, and safety demonstrations. Notably, Nagpur’s regional event saw Shri Nitin Gadkari and Shri Nana Patekar discussing the importance of collaboration in ensuring safety for all.
In Kanpur, interactions with the audience shed light on the real threats to safety during road travel, led by News18 Uttar Pradesh editor, Shri Manmohan Rai.
In Patna, Vidhan Sabha Minister Shri Samir Kumar Mahaseth highlighted the sobering statistics of road safety in India, emphasizing the need for safer roads.
The Chandigarh event featured Shri. Kamaljeet Soni, a member of the National Road Council, and other dignitaries discussing the segment ‘Our Road, Our Responsibility’.
At the Jaipur event, the four pillars of empathy were discussed in-depth, with demonstrations of the CPR process advocating for the Good Samaritan Law by Dr. Allen Pandey, State Nodal Officer.
The school and college events, steered by the Honourable Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari and News18 Roving Editor Prateek Trivedi respectively, engaged with young minds to spark interest and motivation towards improving road safety in India.
The various components of the initiative culminated in a grand 4-hour-long telethon on February 3rd on Network18. Inaugurated by Shri. Amitabh Bachchan, the telethon touched upon its themes and pillars through pre-recorded segments, panel discussions, and on-stage interactions. A standout event was the launch of the Sadak Suraksha Anthem, composed by Shri Shankar Mahadevan and Shri Prasoon Joshi, aimed at inspiring citizens for road safety.
The telethon delved into the actual issues plaguing road safety in India, addressing outdated traffic signage, improper conduct of traffic, the intricacies of the Good Samaritan Law, and basics of providing care to road accident victims. It emphasized the need for vigilance from educational institutions and individuals in adhering to safety practices.
As the government and authorities strive for safer roads, the resolution for safer roads is a collective responsibility of every citizen. As India’s roads and infrastructure evolve, so must our outlook on road safety, ensuring they are safe for everyone.
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